


The second Night. The second Nightmare.

by ThM



Series: When life starts [3]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Alternate Universe - 2D Bendy (Bendy and the Ink Machine), Family, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Ink Henry AU, Shadows of the Studio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-19 02:53:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22870696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThM/pseuds/ThM
Summary: Ben goes through another flashback, but this time two other people see it, the three later discover what happend
Series: When life starts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1643314
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	The second Night. The second Nightmare.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ZanzaFlux](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZanzaFlux/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Back to Where It All Began](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18841015) by [ZanzaFlux](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZanzaFlux/pseuds/ZanzaFlux). 



“Thanks, Ben, I can take it from here”

“ **You sssure, I don’t want you to fall again** ”

“I’m sure, plus if anything happens to me, I’ll call you, okay?”

“ **Alright** ”

Ben entered the living room to find himself less tired, maybe Shadow woke up?

This question was quickly answered when Ben saw Cloudy and Shadow playing with the box again, Ben chuckled at the sight of Shadow’s head poking out and looking around for the girls and Bendy, Ben kept getting shook because of Shadow getting scared from the girls sneaking up on him and shaking him, causing him to jump, Ben mentally asked if Shadow was okay, to which Shadow replied with an “ ** _I’mmm okayyy_** ”

Ben was startled, did the cat speak aloud Infront of everyone? Jason and Henry looked at Ben, to which Ben shrugged

“ **that’sss the sssecond time he’sss ssspoken, I’m jussst asss sssurprisssed asss you** ”

“should it sound like that?” Jason asked

“ **it sssounded a little more energetic then lassst time, but yesss it ssshould sssound like that** ”

The girls got very happy when they heard Shadow speak, so they berated him with questions, Shadow answered them either in facial movements or simple speech, nothing too special

At some point Ben stepped in, as the girls asked a little too fast, he told them to slow down, to which they did, Ben could feel Shadow saying thank you

“Hey Ben, could you come here for a sec?”

Ben got up and moved slightly quicker than normal disappearing into the kitchen, he found June struggling to hold the tray of sandwich’s

“Can you take these, I still have two getting ready”

“ **Sssure** ”

Ben entered the living room with the sandwich’s, it didn’t take him to long to realize that there were six sandwiches’, why would she need an eighth? Maybe Bendy would eat another one, either way, he went with it as he entered with the sandwich’s

Before Bendy could get his hands on a sandwich’s June called him over to the kitchen

Bendy rushed to the kitchen so that he could do what she wanted faster so that he could go eat his sandwich

“you take this one and give the other to Ben alright?”

“what’s the difference Aunt June, their just sandwich’s”

“you’ll see”

Soon Bendy rushed into the living room with two sandwiches’ in his hands

“Here ya’ go Ben”

“ **Thank you** ”

“Apparently they're different”

“ **How ssso?** ”

“I don’t know, she just told me to give you the other one”

Ben and Bendy were filled with absolute curiosity, what could be different then the grilled cheese’s already on the table?

Ben and Bendy open the wrapping on the sandwich’s, Ben looked to his side to see Bendy with a large grin on his face, Ben looked at his sandwich, it was shaped like his head, no wonder Bendy was so happy, it looked just like him

June knew she went out of her way, she carved the sandwiches and gave them smiles using the grill lines, she hoped Ben and Bendy would enjoy them, well, Ben, she knew Bendy would enjoy it

As she cleaned up, she headed to the living room grabbing two sandwiches’

Ben still was confused why was there an extra sandwich, did she accidentally make an extra?

Soon Ben got his answer as she picked both up, removed the wrapping of both sandwich’s and called Shadow over, Ben hadn’t noticed how hungry Shadow was until now, now he understands why there was another sandwich, it was for Shadow 

Shadow heard June calling for him, so he went but very slowly, mostly because he was hungry, he wondered when they were gonna feed him when he saw June, she was holding a sandwich low enough for him to pounce on and eat it, and so he did exactly that, filling his stomach up, he purred a thank you

Ben chuckled at the sight of Shadow gobbling up the sandwich, this had reminded him that Cloudy still hadn’t gotten his food, Ben stood up and headed for the kitchen where he filled the kitten’s bowl with food, he called over Cloudy who as well moved along slowly, he decided to pick up the kitten and set him near his food bowl, just like shadow the kitten purred it’s gratitude as Ben scratch the kitten behind its ear

Ben walked back into the living room seeing everyone, but June finished with their sandwich, Ben sat down and continued his sandwich

As soon as Ben finished it began to snow once again, and just like earlier the girls and Bendy rushed to put their snow clothes on

As June started to get up, she saw Ben run towards his room, leaving with his sweater and scarf on with his cap still in hand, Ben gave her a look of reassurance, she sat back down as Ben monitored the trio, soon Henry followed leaving June and Jason alone, finally, they have some they time

Ben sat down on one of three chairs on the porch, Henry sat next to him

“Hey Ben, thanks for catching June”

Ben looked at Henry, confused, how would he know? Did he see it or what?

“she always makes a little grunting noise before she falls” Ben raised his brows comprehensively, that’s how he knew

“What happened exactly?”

“ **Ssshe collapsssed on herssself** ” Henry coughed as he cleared his throat

“She collapsed on herself, she might have more than a cold” Ben looked at Henry wearily, Henry chuckled “She’s not going to die, it just might take a little longer to heal”

Ben relaxed when Henry reassured him nothing was wrong, but soon he doubted the very word of Henry as he heard June cough violently, Ben tried to get up, but Henry didn’t let him, he pointed towards the girls and Bendy as he went inside the house to check on June

Ben looked through the window to find Henry kneeling next to June while Jason was checking her temperature

“She has strep throat,” Henry said

“How?” Jason asked

“she has a fever and she is coughing violently unless you suggest she had an aneurysm or pneumonia than were sticking to strep throat,” Henry said

“Do you guys have penicillin by chance?” Jason shook his head

“Well, I have good news and bad news, witch one you want to hear first?”

“the bad news first” Jason replied

“the bad news is that it’ll take three days to a week to recover, the good news is she doesn’t need to go to the hospital”

Jason and June were relieved that she wouldn’t need to go to the hospital

“Jason go fetch me an aspirin and a Tylenol” Jason went to the kitchen, June called out

“Wait,” June said shakily “don’t get the aspirin I had an Advil earlier, and you know what happens with aspirin and Advil”

“Jason, leave the aspirin” Henry exclaimed

“You sure about that?” Jason asked

“Yup I’m sure, she had an Advil earlier” Henry replied

“I see” soon Jason entered with a glass of water and a Tylenol, Henry confirmed with Jason that it was a Tylenol

“here” June took the glass and popped the Advil into her mouth as she flushed it down with water, she didn’t feel better but her cough was less violent and hurt less, she thanked both men as she excused herself to her room and laid on her bed

Jason entered the room to see if she wanted company or anything else, she just asked for another glass of water, Jason rushed as fast as he could to get her some water, when he came back up he handed her the water where she sipped away, she told him she was fine and she needed to rest

He left the room as he headed downstairs seeing only the kids outside, quickly he rushed through the door looking for anyone trying to snag them, all he saw was Beth, Sarah, Bendy and, wait… Ben?

“ **Isss ssshe okay? I heard sssomething about ssstrep throat** ” Ben asked with a worried tone

“She has strep throat, yes, but she’s resting and well”

“ **Isss it ssseriousss?** ”

“No it’s nothing, as long as she stays on her pain killers it won’t spread or get worse” Jason paused “but it may take a week to recover” Ben was okay with that number until he remembered that Jason had work the first day of the girls school and that Henry needed to get back to his place as well, maybe the grandparents can come over

“Ben, what’s wrong?”

“ **who’sss going to look after June during the firssst day of ssschool?** ”

“Oh, that would be my mom” Jason took a breath before continuing “I’ll call her once I go inside, why, where you scared that you would have to pick up the girls after school?” Ben nodded, Jason didn’t expect this answer “Oh, don’t worry I promise that, if you have to, I’ll let you punch me for your troubles”

Ben chuckled at the offer, he knew the man meant it, but he wouldn’t punch him, although he was uncertain about not having to pick up the kids after school, out of curiosity he asked where he would pick them up

“See we are very lucky, the bus stop is right there,” Jason said while pointing at a stop sign across the road “June normally waits on the sidewalk on our side because she taught them how to look left and right when crossing” Jason paused as he took a breath “so technically if you stood at the sidewalk and waited for the bus they would walk across the road and jump into your hands”

“ **Why would they jump into my handsss?** ”

“Cause’ it’s not every day June doesn’t pick up the children”

“ **Will anyone come over to me?** ”

“Well, yes and no, see June normally talks to our neighbors while they wait for the bus” once more Jason paused to take a breath “by now they are used to Bendy, so if anyone asked you could either tell them that you’re his ‘older brother’, tell the truth which I doubt, or make something up”

Ben, Bendy’s brother, that would make sense, but would it work, that was the real question. Ben hoped he picked up the girls but at the same time he didn’t, what would come from this scared Ben

Jason got up, and headed for the door leaving Henry and Ben to look after the children, and just like he said he would call his mother

“Hey mom could you come over and look after June” before he could finish Pearl interrupted

“ _give me an hour I need to finish dinner_ ” Pearl replied

“Mom, not today, the first day of school we need you to come,” Jason said

“ _Oh, that can’t happen, see me and your dad need to go get our check-up and it’s around the same time the girls get home_ ,” Pearl said in a sad tone

“Alright, is their anyone who could?” Jason asked

“ _no not really, your Aunt and Uncle on my side are sick whilst your dad’s side is on vacation, I’m sorry but there’s nothing I can do_ ” Pearl replied again in a sad tone

“W-Well do you have any penicillin to spare?”

“ _No, why?_ ”

“Well June has strep throat from the dry air, we’ve doubled her on pain killers”

“ _which pain killers, you better not have given her Advil and aspirin, because if you did, go take her to a hospital_ ”

“No, we didn’t give her aspirin and Advil, only Tylenol and Advil, Henry told me to hold back on the aspirin, why, what does it do”

“ _It causes stomach bleeding which can kill a person_ ,” Pearl said, how did he not know this

“Thanks for telling me mom”

“ _you’re welcome sweetheart, oh and make sure she takes only one a day to prevent overdosing, got it?_ ”

“Got it, bye mom”

“ _Bye sweety_ ” Jason hung up as he started to get scared no one could help June while he was away

Jason walked up to Henry

“Hey Henry, can you stay during the first school day, my mom and dad have an appointment”

“Sorry Jason, I’ve got to cover for my co-worker, he broke his leg in a car accident”

“Oh god,” Jason said frightened

“What’s wrong? Can you not stay either?” Henry asked

“No, I’ve got a long trip ahead of me, and this one is one you can’t miss”

“Ah, sorry but there is nothing I can do”

“I know,” Jason said

“Well looks like the girls have to walk home by themselves,” Henry said

“No,” Jason’s answer shook Henry as Jason continued

“Ben’s going to have to pick ‘em up, it’s the only option” Henry looked at Jason

“You sure about that Jason, I mean I may not know Ben, but I can tell you, he won’t like it”

“yea I know, I just hope that the excuse I gave him works”

“What excuse?” Henry asked

“That he was Bendy’s older brother,” Jason said sadly

“That might work if you asked me” Henry replied

“You think so?”

“I mean if I didn’t know Ben but knew Bendy and saw him wearing what he is wearing currently then I would be a little shock but slowly ease into it” this made Jason happy knowing it would work “But, Ben does hiss every s he says so, that might unconvinced me” Jason went back to his worried stage

“Here look after the children while I go see if Ben could not hiss his s’s” Jason nodded as he did exactly that.

“Hey Ben, I need to talk to ya for a minute” 

“ **Sssure, what isss it?** ”

“Exactly that” Henry replied, leaving Ben confused

“ **Exactly what?** ” Ben asked

“Your hiss” Henry replied, continuing “See, you're going to have to pick up the children from the bus stop”

“ **Why, can Pearl not do it?** ” Ben asked

“No, she and William have a doctor’s appointment that day around the same time the girls get dropped off. So, our only option is you Ben, and your hiss won’t convince anyone” Ben knew he was right, but what could he do? It was physically built into him, he couldn’t change that, unless

Ben stood quiet for a second before finally opening his mouth

“ **Like this?** ” Ben asked, Henry, didn’t respond but instead clapped

“Exactly like that” even though his tone was the same the hissing was gone

“What did you do?” Henry asked. Ben answered by reverting what he did and showing his forked tongue then speaking an example line

“ **Thisss isss how I sssound with thisss tongue** ” as he said, then he transformed the forked tongue into a slightly squared tongue, again showing his tongue to Henry as he repeated the line

“ **This is how I sound with this tongue** ” Henry was taken aback, did Ben just shapeshift his tongue?

“I thought only Bendy could shapeshift, but I’m guessing when you and Bendy came out in the blob of ink you two shapeshifted, a lot”

“ **Yeah, I did, not him** ” Ben felt more alive as he spoke clearer and could run unlike the limping he had before, he wanted to keep this feeling without draining his energy, but he knew that wasn’t possible

“ **Hey Henry, I’m heading inside…** ” Ben stopped short, something hit him hard from the past and Ben tried his best to keep it in

“Ben are you alright?” Henry asked, but Ben stood there motionless, berated by the memories of the past

At this point Henry expected this to happen, he was going through a flashback, it was to easy to tell, he could hear the demon hitching without even saying a word, he soon saw tears, as Ben stood there motionless, Henry sent worry through his and Bendy’s bond, trying to get the toon’s attention

Something hit Bendy hard in the chest, it wasn’t a snowball, what was it? Soon Bendy got his answer as worry flooded his and Henry’s bond, quickly the toon looked over at Henry waving at Ben’s face trying to get his attention, the toon quickly realized that Ben was crying, he rushed over as fast as he could, getting everyone’s attention

Sarah looked at Beth who was just as confused as her and Jason, but quickly they all saw it, Ben was tearing up, Sarah took off towards Ben as Beth and Jason followed

“Uncle Henry, what’s going on?” Sarah asked, afraid that Ben was hurt

“He’s having a flashback, Jason come and help me bring him to his room” before Jason could help, Bendy already transformed, as he took Ben and scrambled to his room setting him on his bed

“Thanks, bud, I’ll take it from here” Henry replied “Oh! Tell Jason to check on June just in case” Bendy scrambled out the room towards Jason telling him to check on her, he brought a glass of water just in case

“Ben, talk to me”

“ **I-I c-can’t** ” Ben started to give in as he started to fall

As soon as Henry saw Ben falling, he tried to catch him but wasn’t successful, so he used the ink to help him

Soon Henry covered in ink sat on the hardwood floor with Ben cradled against him. While comforting the demon in his current form he felt something different, it wasn’t from Bendy that was sure, who could it have been?

Bendy also felt it as he rushed into the room and closed the door behind him, henry looked at the toon, he was asking a question without speaking, and Bendy replied without speaking, both Henry and Bendy where confused, what was happening no one knew

Bendy helped Henry calm Ben down, but as soon as Bendy touched Ben’s shoulder it hit him as well, even Henry saw it, they both looked engrossed in this memory.

* * *

_“It worked! Finally, something went right, and that’s all because of me” **the man said, who was this man? Was this man my creator? Would this man take care of me? How should I have known, I was just created**_

_“I don’t know Joey he looks a bit off,” **said the other**_

_“Wait your right he does look off, WHAT DID YOU DO?!” **the man said**_

_“Joey, I did nothing, promise!” **the other replied, I learned they’re that my creator was named Joey**_

_“Thomas, you LIAR, of course, you DID something just look at what you’ve done,” **Joey said, I learned the other’s name, Thomas**_

**_Why where are they screaming? Did I do something wrong? What did I do? Why did I do what I did? Why is this happening? It’s getting too loud. My ears are hurting. I decided to run away._ **

**_The place was so loud, how could anyone bear this? How could anyone understand what they were saying? How could it be so loud?_ **

**_I wanted to leave but when I tried, I got caught by Joey. He screamed at me. Why was I here if everyone was going to scream at me?_ **

**_I liked Thomas, whenever it got too loud, he told everyone to quiet down, I always preferred him over my creator._ **

**_I learned today that Joey wasn’t my creator, Henry was, who was Henry? Where was Henry? Could Henry help me? Will I ever see Henry?_ **

**_Today I tried to draw but wasn’t very good at it, so I found a book and read it. It was a story, what nice story, it had a happy ending, when will I get my happy ending? When will I meet Henry?_ **

**_Today joey caught me wandering to close to the front door, he screamed at me, why was he so rude? Why did he think I was a mistake? Why did he do the things he did?_ **

**_So many questions, not enough answers, I can’t take it much longer, the screaming, the chattering, the noises from the pipes, so loud, when will I be left in silence? When will I meet Henry? When will this end?_ **

* * *

Henry looked at Bendy in shock, the toon wasn’t too surprised as he’s seen Ben’s memories before, but looking back at them wasn’t pleasing

It took a while for Henry to realize that Ben was huddled in the fetal position shaking violently, and sobbing quietly as he relived his memories

Soon Bendy joined Ben, they were both tearing up, as they both soon felt into soft sobs, again Ben cried to the fullest as he began to weep loudly

Henry straightened Ben as he let the demon’s head rest on his shoulder patting him on the back, Ben shot his hands around Henry and started a weird-looking hug

* * *

As Jason came up to June’s door, she groaned

“Is it almost dinner?”

“yea, it’s almost dinner, here I got you some water”

“Thanks, my throat was killing me”

Jason sat next to June on the bed

“How’s Ben doing?” June asked

Before Jason could answer a very loud weeping was heard, was It Ben?

“Jason help me up,” June asked, to which he gladly did

They both walked down the stairs to see Sarah and Beth alone, watching tv, June told Jason to stay with them, he retaliated, but finally, he stayed, June walked in the room to find Henry covered in ink, Bendy and Ben lying on Henry’s shoulder

‘what’s wrong’ she mouthed

‘he had an fl-a-sh-ba-ck’ Henry mouthed back

Henry told Bendy threw their bond to tell June what happened outside of the room, both left as Ben was with Henry, again

“ **Ben** ”

This got Ben’s attention, Henry’s voice sounded just as deep as his own, but still sounded normal, if someone had this voice in public no one would care, but the hissing would put anyone on the absolute edge of their seat

Ben didn’t reply as he continued to cry

“ **Ben,** ” Henry said once more

Ben this time lifted his head slightly. Henry had forgotten about the questions from Ben’s past, the ones that were about him, the creator. He gave the answers ben hadn’t got from Joey

“ **I’m here, and I can help you** ” this sentence broke Ben as he continued to wail, he loosened as soon the sentence was said

“ **I’m sorry for not being there when you needed me, I’m sorry for not being able to protect you from JoEy, I’m sorry** ” Henry tightened his grip, even he had trouble saying Joey’s name

Before Henry could continue to apologize, another flashback flashed but was only a couple seconds long

* * *

**_Henry turned the machine on, maybe he could help me._ **

**_I reached for Henry, but he ran away, did I do something wrong? I always do something wrong._ **

**_I’m tired of this, I can’t hold it in anymore._ **

**_Henry, the next time you see me, it’s not going to be pleasant_ **

* * *

And now Henry relived his most feared moments of life

* * *

_Alright I turn the machine on, I want to see how it works, I want to see if Joey did something for once_

_Huh, this wasn’t boarded up, when did tha-_

_What the HELL was that? It looked like Bendy, but at the same time it didn’t, I took off running, hoping he wasn’t chasing me_

_I’m almost at the exit I can see it, just one more ste-_

_What just happened? Did the floor break under the pressure of the ink? What did Joey do to this place? What did he make? What did he do?_

_Oh god, how did I survive that fall? How are none of my bones broken? How can I help whoever is left in the studio?_

_Found an axe, that might help, after all the door that I needed to go through was barricaded by planks, why was it barricaded? Was something past the point dangerous? Could this thing kill me? Will I ever escape?_

_I broke the boards down and walked into the room, what is this? Why is an inverted pentagram on the floor? Did Joey do this? Did he summon Bendy?_

_I started to feel lightheaded, I fell to the floor, was I going to die? Will I have a chance to escape? Will I have the chance to help anyone in the studio? When will this look? When will this end? Why did this happen? If I stayed would this not happen? Is this my fault? Did I do something wrong by leaving the man who only wanted fame and fortune? Can I help? Why?_

* * *

Ben saw Henry’s flashback, he felt sad, the thought of killing the only person that could help him scared him, Henry couldn’t say anything, and Ben didn’t want him to, he had apologized, now it was his turn

“ **H-Henry I-I** ” Ben was going to continue until Henry tightened his grip, it seemed that they traded place’s, Henry was the one that was wailing whilst Ben was comforting him

“ **H-Henry listen, I’m s-sorry for wanting to k-KiLl you, I just... couldn’t hold it back,** ” Ben said, Henry tightened his grip, even more, it was like he was the one that suffered from Joey’s actions and Ben was in his shoes, scared and afraid

“ **I snapped when you r-ran from m-me, I didn’t w-want to h-hurt anyone, but J-JoEy made it hard to do that. P-Please understand I-I don’t w-want you to be h-hurt, I didn’t w-want to d-do anything I did t-to you or the others, I just couldn’t** ” before Ben continued another flashback hit him, this time it was before he existed

* * *

_“Joey you’re not thinking straight, it’s my work why am I not being credited?” Henry exclaimed as Joey simply shook his head_

_“Is that how it’s going to be? Fine! You do all the drawing then!” Henry exclaimed_

_“Henry, don’t do something you’ll regret, we invented Ben- “Henry interrupted Joey_

_“We? WE?!?!” Henry was practically yelling at Joey_

_“I INVENTED BENDY, YOU SAT THEY'RE SAYING THESE ‘WORDS OF INSPIRATION’!” Henry said with the rudest tone he had ever used in his life_

_“Henry, you’re playing with fire, do you know who I am?” Joey said practically threatening Henry_

_“Yea I know who I’m talking to, the person I USED TO WORK WITH” the message was sent clear, and confirmed when he headed for the office’s door_

_“HENRY, COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!” Joey ordered this wasn’t going to work on Henry any longer, he set his path and took it_

_Before Henry exited his office, something inserted itself with force into Henry’s left shoulder, when he looked at what it was, it was none other than the mail opener he got from the staff, Henry was furious_

_“Henry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you, I-I was aiming for the door! Yeah” he said the last part in a whisper, but Henry heard it as clear as day_

_Henry knew that if he did anything he would be sued, so instead of attacking Joey back, he took at the mail opener and jammed it into the wall as hard as he could, making it almost impossible to get out_

_As he headed towards his desk, everyone looked at him and asked him if he was okay or needed an ambulance, Henry simply said no in an angry manner. Everyone was taken aback, Henry never spook in this tone towards anyone_

_They all soon understood what happened when Joey came out of his office, there was blood on the door with a barely visible mail opener jammed into the door frame, everyone’s attention swung back to Henry as he packed his stuff, said his goodbye’s and slammed the door behind him, leaving the entire studio quiet_

_“What, do any of you want to end up like him?” out of everyone in the room three people took off to their desks as four others slowly moved to their desk all packing their things and heading off_

_The seven people that left liked Henry, he was the only reason they stayed, they were taught everything they needed to know about working for Joey, now that he was gone, no one would help them_

_One of the seven ran up to Henry_

_“Hey Henry, you need help?”_

_“No thanks Tommy, I did what I did, and got the wall pulled over my head, today I pushed it down and crossed over, pulling it back up to whoever wants to work for the man”_

_“Henry, thank you for teaching me” Tommy replied_

_“you’re welcome, now if you don’t mind, I need to go home and cover this wound,” they both said their goodbye’s as they walked away from each other_

* * *

That’s what happened, that’s what killed Joey Drew Studios, the man that was the last lifeline had left, that’s why Ben never met Henry, that’s why Joey Drew burned

“ **H-Henry** ” Ben scrambled for words but was cut short

“ **B-BeN** ” The distortion from Henry’s voice sent chills down Ben’s spine

They both looked at each other like they were looking in a mirror, Ben looked at Henry, he looked just like him, his eyes were covered in ink as his voice was distorted, and Henry looked at Ben, he had his eyes cleared from the ink and was worried about him. They truly were looking in a mirror, the sight of the other resembled exactly how they looked like before

Both of them raced to speak first but they couldn’t find a single word, this silence was broken by June walking in with two bowls with spoons in them, she stopped at the sight, Ben and Henry were looking at each other, but for some reason, Ben looked like Henry and Henry looked like Ben. Before she asked, they both looked at her with tears falling from both of their face’s

She decided to leave them alone as she walked up to them, placed the bowls next to them, and left without saying a word, she hoped Ben still liked chili, she already knew Henry did. When they were young, whenever they had chili, they would gobble it all down and ask for seconds, no matter what occasion they stuffed themselves silly

Ben and Henry eyed the bowl of chili, it must be dinner time, neither of them picked up and left towards the kitchen. Instead slowly Ben crossed his leg’s like Henry and propped himself next to the bed, sitting crossed legged next to Henry

Soon Henry picked up his bowl, Ben followed, Henry and Ben forgot how good June’s chili was, they both took a spoonful at the same time. Both Henry and Ben straightened, this was exactly what they needed, they were both oblivious of the emotions coming from one another, it was like a bond

soon the unawareness turned into confusion as they both felt a sense of impatience, where was this coming from? Henry and Ben realized who it was, it was Bendy growing impatient from waiting for dinner, but how could they both feel this? Did they bond? Where they both in a single bond?

Henry looked at Ben as Ben looked at Henry, they had a bond all along, they were oblivious to it since the very beginning, Henry needed to check his wrist after this

Ben and Henry finished their bowls of chili very slowly as they savored every bite, they could also feel Bendy enjoying it, this was a very weird experience for both

Ben knew where his bond was located, he always hated checking it, it was the worst spot for him, under his bad foot, it was very scarcely seen but when a life-changing event occurred it glowed a soft violet just like his eyes

He decided to check if it was glowing or not, it was. Ben probed it just to be sure it wasn’t a pipe burst coming from the studio. When he probed it, there was something that responded, it was Henry. Henry was the one he bonded with

Out of curiosity, he checked his other foot, it also was glowing, he probed that one as he got an answer from Bendy, they truly wherein a bond, all three of them, and they were all so welcoming to him to their bond

As Ben and Henry finished their chili, they both stood up, heading towards the door, before they left Ben’s room, he had said something

“ **Thank you,** ” Ben said

“ **Don’t thank me, June made the chili,** ” Henry said jokingly, Ben knew Henry understood what he said

“ **Oh no, I made a mess, sorry Ben, I’ll clean it up later,** ” Henry said

“ **You don’t need to clean it, just reabsorb it, that’s what I do** ” Ben replied

“ **But how?** ” Henry asked

“ **Well what I do is I just tell it to come back, and it does, but if that doesn’t work then you could try erasing it with your finger** ” Ben knew it would work

Henry took a second to think about until he finally tried, and just like Ben said it came to him as his body reabsorbed the ink, he walked around slightly trying to see if he as well didn’t leave any ink behind, which was true

Ben chuckled at the sight of the hulking animator walking around, Henry thought it would be beneficial to teach Bendy this, instead of leaving those ink traces when he transforms, at some point he knew that he’d run out of acetone

Henry was getting used to telling the ink to come back to him, he was ready to go put the dishes in the sink. Such a simple task, thwarted by the ink, Ben felt what Henry thought, he couldn’t help but laugh

When Ben quieted down, Henry snickered slightly, he guessed it was kind of funny

* * *

As soon as June heard the doorknob of Ben’s room turn, she was suspecting Henry in his normal form, Bendy began to giggle for no reason given, soon a Henry walked out the room with his dish in his hand, chuckling as Ben followed

They both greeted everyone, while June and Jason watched in awe the girls giggled as they greeted them both

June was going to snap at Henry because of the amount of ink he was letting fall on the floor, but then she realized that not a single drop of ink came off of Henry, looks like Ben taught him his trick, June was happy that no ink was placed on the floor

For some reason Ben looked a little more alive than normal, he was less tense and had more emotions to him. How curious she had been, she didn’t know, all she wanted to know is if Ben ever had to return to that damned studio, June always had the thought of going back with gallons of gasoline and kerosene and just lit the place on fire

Jason, on the other hand, wanted to go full speed with ‘Lucy’ into the studio, that way no one could do anything with that place

Henry needed to claim the studio as his, it was his, he was the co-owner of the studio, he help fund for that studio, and now that Joey was K.I.A. he can claim it and ask for it to be filled with concrete, it would cost an arm and a leg but he still had millions from the war

Henry never considered himself rich he’d call himself poor whenever the subject popped up, he didn’t want anyone to know he was rich, it would attract too many burglars to his house, the last thing he wanted where burglars

Ben wanted to do all of the above, he’d want to ram the first floor down, set the entire structure on fire and finally fill it with tonnes worth of concrete so that no one could find it, but he’d also want to make it into a cemetery for everyone that died under the influence of Joey Drew, well everyone but two, Joey and Linda Drew, they deserved to be forgotten. But that was for another day, hopefully

As Ben and Henry set their bowls into the kitchen they headed into the living room, where Henry slowly but surely turned back to himself again and checked his wrists, now he had two pentagrams on his wrist, he sighed as he showed Ben his wrist’s

Ben laughed at the sight, now he had to explain to everyone why he had two pentagrams on his hand, 

“Well you have to explain why your feet are glowing violet to the girls” Henry stated, with a smirk on his face

“ **Did you have to say it out loud?** ” Ben asked jokingly

“Of course, I did, and I think I hear the girls whispering,” Henry said, this made the girls giggle

“ **Dang it,** ” Ben said, hearing the girls giggling, confirming that they were going to ask about his feet

Henry chuckled as he turned on the tv and tuned into a sports channel

“What? I was referee yesterday now I get to root for a team” Henry said, hearing a chuckle from Jason

“Well we will need a referee because I’m coming in,” Jason said playfully, they both looked at Ben

“ **What? You want me to be the referee?** ” Ben asked, both men nodded and didn’t give him a single second to think about it, he was now the referee, he guessed being able to separate the two men from fighting would be a fun little power trip for Ben

Both men sat on the couch, Ben sat between them already acting like a ref that gets in the way of two fighting men, that would be fun to see, Henry and Jason trying to get around him just so that they could fight

As the heat between Henry and Jason rose, so did the soft violet glow as it got brighter and brighter, only his ‘bad foot’, the other didn’t glow, he guessed this one was Henry, he was fighting with Jason after all, it would make sense that he would glow more.

Soon the girls rushed in the room, Ben knew what they were going to ask, but acted like he didn’t know

“Hey Ben, why’s your foot glowing?” Sarah asked as she tried to hide her laughter

“Yea, why is it glowing?” Beth forwarded also failing at hiding her laugh

“ **have you two seen Henry’s wrists before?** ” Ben said flawlessly, Sarah shrugged but Beth nodded, she then told her it was the star on his wrist, she soon remembered and nodded

Ben lifted his ‘bad foot’ and showed them the bottom of it, it was the star but glowing the same color as his eyes

“It looks just as pretty as your eyes,” Sarah said, Ben tried his best to hide his blush.

Bendy wanted a little payback on Ben, so he decided to flood a random emotion through their bond, this made his other foot glow, and the girl's curiosity took off, they wanted to see his other foot now

“ **Fine but this is the last time okay?** ” both girls nodded as Ben raised his other foot and showed the girls the ‘star’ glowing a bright soft violet, soon Ben put down his feet and told the girls to shoo away as Henry and Jason began to fight, they did as he got up separating the two, a few punches where shot but Ben blocked them, it didn’t hurt, it was like someone was tickling him

As the two men sat down, the tickling feeling didn’t end, it felt like someone was physically tickling him, he had never realized how ticklish he was, mostly because no one ever dared to get close to him

This tickling sensation only grew stronger and stronger, it took a while for Ben to find where it originated, but he figured it out, it was from behind. He didn’t check until the tickling started giving him muscle spasms when he looked around, he found Bendy right there, laughing at Ben’s reaction, he wanted to hit the demon but smiled, Bendy was confused at this reaction

“ **Looks like someone’s stuck,** ” Ben said with a smirk on his face

Bendy hadn’t thought this part out, how was he going to get out? His plans ruined by a such a simple yet common problem

“Dang it, I knew I was missing something!” Bendy said

“Ben, can you help me out?” Bendy asked, soon a grin appeared on Ben’s face, it didn’t look manic, but it scared Bendy a bit

How could Ben get payback now that Bendy was stuck between the cushions? The answer popped up in his head, if he had to guess, the toon would have the same tickle point’s as he did, and being stuck in the couch, he couldn’t fight back

“ **Maybe, or I could get some payback!** ” Ben exclaimed as he started tickling the toon near his back

Bendy was confused at first but as soon as Ben reached out, it was clear, he was going to tickle him back, he didn’t think this one through

As Bendy flinched, he became loose for the cushion’s and jump out in uncontrollable laughter, as he hit the floor, he continued to laugh

Sarah and Beth watched as their partner in crime got caught, they snickered at the sight of Ben tickling the toon, maybe a little too loud, their snickering got them caught when June walked up behind them and tickled both

Both started to giggle, June knew exactly where they were most ticklish in, and she used that to her advantage, unaware of the two men on the couch getting up and sneaking toward her and Ben

Now Henry was tickling Ben while Jason was tickling June, how did a little joke escalate into a fully fletched tickle fight? No one knew, and no one questioned it, they all enjoyed it

The room had filled with everyone’s laughter, but in a split second the room was berated by someone else’s laughter, it was Henry’s laughter, looks like Jason betrayed him, this act didn’t go unseen, Bendy saw it

It was his turn to shine, he scrambled towards the back of Jason, he brought his finger to his side’s, and with the tip of his fingers, he pressed on them causing Jason to have a full-on body spasm

The laughing slowly died down

“Charlie Horse,” Jason said, putting Henry, June, and Bendy in laughter

“That wasn’t a muscle spasm Uncle Jason, I tased you!” Bendy said as he continued to laugh

“Ah, well let me return the favor!” Jason said as he pressed his fingertips against Bendy’s side’s, causing the toon to fall in laughter

“I think that’s enough commotion for today,” June said clearing her throat

* * *

_“Hi Joey, I know it’s been a while but I’m wondering if I could come back to the studio, see I just got out of the war and I need to calm down, could I get my job back?” Henry asked over the phone_

_“Fifteen years Henry, fifteen years, isn’t that a long time?” Joey asked half-heartedly_

_“Joey, I know you're mad, but you were taking the credit plus I was going to tell you I was going to be drafted, it’s just that not being credited hit first” Henry replied_

_“You should have said that first when you came to my office Henry, and now, you can’t get your job back because you left, like a cowardly traitor, and took seven of my finest men with you,” Joey said sounding angry_

_“What, are you going to blame me for making them quit? They were given the same Injustice as me, I couldn’t change if they were going to quit or not” Henry said, his voice starting to grow angry_

_“Well maybe if you didn’t tell them those lies, they wouldn’t have left,” Joey said practically screaming at the phone, he also heard him screaming at someone named… Bendy? What was he talking about?_

_“Joey, don’t blame them on me, of course, they left, they weren’t being paid to the fullest” Henry said_

_“All you do is Lie Henry, LIE to the world about ME being a PHONY, and take away everything from me, so I’m going to take away what you want,” Joey said before inhaling deeply_

_“YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SET FOOT IN THIS STUDIO AGAIN,” Joey said screaming at Henry like a banshee and hung up the phone violently_

_“Joey, what have you become?” Henry said aloud, as he hung up, he realized even after fifteen years, Joey didn’t change, and if that long couldn’t change the man, nothing could, he gave up, Joey was nothing to Henry anymore, just another dead person on the list of friends and relative’s_

* * *

Ben looked at Henry, who was resting, did the man purposefully do that or did his dreams relate to that very moment, it didn’t matter he knew exactly why he didn’t come back, this made Ben even more mad at Joey

Before Ben broke out in anger, Bendy sat next to him, looking up at him, did he want something?

“Ben, I saw it too, don’t get angry, it will make things worse, trust me” Ben looked at the toon, did he know what he was talking about? Either way Ben took his advice as he loosened into the seat

He was slightly stiff as he knew about Monday, he would have to go and pick up the girls, how many people would ask him questions?

He sighed, what an exasperating thing, he hadn’t even done it, but he felt tired

June went up early but before going into her room she called for Jason, he ran up the stairs

“Jason, honey, could you get me a glass of water?” she asked

Jason rushed to get her a glass of water, not too cold not too hot, as he came up, he gave her the glass, she asked one more thing of him

“Jason, we both know that strep is contagious,” June said “I don’t want you to get sick, so I made a decision, and you’re not going to like it” June continued wearily that Jason may snap out at her

“Well, if that’s what you think then I’ll sleep in the girl’s room,” Jason said

“you can’t, Bendy’s already in there and it’ll get too crowded, and you can’t sleep in Henry’s room either, he’s been through a lot today and I think he needs rest, not chattering” June replied, Jason could see a very possible chance that she wants him to stay with Ben for the night, but why?

“I’ll sleep on the couch then,” Jason said

“No, you’ll either get too cold, or stay up watching tv, I remember the last time you slept on the couch” June said, taking a breath before sipping at the water and continuing “You’ll sleep in Ben’s room, plus I’m afraid he’ll have another nightmare,” June said

“But won’t Henry deal with him? He did last time” Jason said trying to find his way out of sleeping in Ben’s room

“No, I don’t think you noticed that Henry is more tired today, we were lucky to have him wake up last night, plus I think you and Ben need to get along a little better” June forwarded

“I guess you’re right, we were pretty lucky Henry woke up,” Jason said, he was half looking forward to this and half regretting doing this

“Good, and don’t worry, I asked Ben if you could sleep with him. He said he’s fine as long as you don’t snore” June said in a playful tone “I have a pillow in the dryer, you’ll use that one okay?” June said

“Got it, ’night hon,” Jason said as June closed the door

Jason headed downstairs to see Ben holding Beth and Bendy apart, looks like they were about to get in a “SORRY!!” fight, although it looked hard to do, Ben looked like he was enjoying his powers over the two

As the heat settled down, so did the noise, Beth and Bendy seemed to have a yelling competition by just looking at each other, soon Henry headed up, leaving Jason alone with Ben and the children

Nothing during this time happened, the only noise in the room was the children playing games and the tv, it was quite calming honestly, the children weren’t screaming which was a nice change

Soon a thought crossed Jason’s mind, it wasn’t important, but curiosity got the best of him

“Hey Ben, I know you’ve been alive for thirty-ish years, but what do you think you are,” Jason asked, Ben, gave out a hum indicating he didn’t understand “like do you call yourself a teen or an adult” this made more sense to Ben, it hadn’t crossed his mind if he was a teenager or an adult

“ **I don’t know, technically I’m an adult, but saying that doesn’t feel right, I guess teenager would describe me the best? I don’t know** ” Ben said, it was true he was older than twenty but saying he was an adult didn’t work, he acted like a teenager at most time’s, but he took charge as an adult

“I guess teenager would make sense, you sure as hell act like one,” Jason said in a jokingly manner

Jason walked in the garage to get the pillow from the dryer, there was also the spare quilt they had just in case they needed it, he took that as well, he walked into Ben’s room to set up, Cloudy and Shadow jump on him when he entered

“So, this is where you two have been huh?” Jason said as he patted them and scratched them behind of their ears, they both purred their gratitude as the hopped back on Ben’s bed, looks like his quilt was the softest thing in the world, Jason chuckled as he left the room heading towards the couch

He sat next to Ben

“I’m set up, in about thirty minutes the girls and Bendy go to sleep if you want you can stay up a little longer but not too long,” Jason said

“ **I’m pretty tired honestly, I’m going to sleep when I can** ” Ben replied with, he continued “ **Plus I’ve been holding my foot and tongue like this for the entire day,** ” Ben said

“Wait the entire day? I thought you just changed it permanently” Jason said

“ **I wish Jason, I wish, but I’m not a very practical demon,** ” Ben said, continuing “ **you could probably call me the ‘impractical hero’ and you wouldn’t be wrong,** ” Ben said

“ **As soon as they go upstairs, I’m changing the two back, it’s tiring holding them like that,** ” Ben said

After a couple of minutes, Jason and Ben heard the first yawn, followed by two others’

“Alright guys it’s time for bed,” Jason said tiredly, today instead of them saying they aren’t tired they admitted that they were tired, as Jason walked up the stairs Ben let his tongue and leg return to their original position, but for some reason they didn’t they seem to refuse to turn back like this was their original position, Ben shook them around a bit too see if they where just fixed in position, they weren’t

When Jason came down, he saw a very confused Ben looking at his leg, was he reverting it? Jason had to ask, his curiosity for these things where unbelievable

“Everything alright Ben? you seem… frustrated.” Jason asked

“ **My leg and tongue don’t want to change back.** ” Ben said, in a slightly rude manner

“Well, let them stay like that unless you have a problem with running and speaking properly.” Jason said playfully

“ **I guess your right, I’ll leave them alone if they change, they change, if they don’t, they don’t** ,” Ben said, sounding extremely wise

“Alright, I’m hitting the sack, you gonna stay up or no?” Jason asked

“ **Yea, yea I’m coming, let me turn off the tv first** ” Ben walked up to the tv and turned a knob, shutting the tv down and filling the room with the white noises coming from the light, he saw Jason flick his room’s light’s on, Ben flicked the living room lights off as he walked towards his room

As he entered, he got pounced by Shadow and Cloudy, these two looked even more tired then he did but they acted like they just woke up

Jason chuckled, Ben was so tired that if he didn’t try, he would fall over, Jason shooed away the feline duo as he helped Ben regain his balance

“ **Thanks,** ” Ben said, to this Jason simply nodded, he was too tired to even speak

“I’m going to the bathroom; I need to clean up and change before I can go to bed,” Jason said ending his sentence in a yawn

Ben nodded as Jason left his room heading for the downstairs bathroom

* * *

A few minutes past by, Jason entered Ben’s room to see… wait, Bendy?

Jason was dumbfounded by the sight, why was Bendy in Ben’s room? And where’s Ben? Jason needed his answers or else his curiosity could kill him

“H-Hey Bendy why are you- “Jason couldn’t believe what he saw, when the toon turned around, it wasn’t Bendy, it was Ben!

“ **Huh?** ” Ben asked, Jason still flabbergasted

“B-Ben, what is t-this?” Jason still was blown away by what he’s seeing

“ **What is what?** ” Ben asked still unknowing of his form

Jason couldn’t speak, he knew Ben was waiting for an answer, he decided to just point at Ben’s supposed human hand

As Jason pointed to Ben’s hand, he looked to see what was happening, wait, this isn’t his hand. Ben shakily touched his face with his hands, it was just as round as Bendy’s, Ben thought he was imagining things, but everything was confirmed when he looked at his leg’s

“ **J-Jason am I-** “Ben couldn’t finish his sentence

“Y-Yes you are” Jason replied, both couldn’t believe it, Ben was in Bendy’s form, he didn’t do this intentionally, Jason knew that. he soon realized what was happening

Soon a rather simple yet confusing thought crossed Jason’s mind, was Ben in his Pyjamas? It wouldn’t make all much sense, but it was his best guess

“H-Hey Ben, a-are you in your Pj’s?” Jason asked. Ben looked at Jason confused but soon realized that this fact may be true.

To test this, Ben tried to pull off one of his gloved hands, it came off, revealing his normal human hand, just to confirm, Ben tried his other hand, again it revealed his gloved hand, it popped out, most likely because his gloved hand was too big for Bendy’s glove’s

Ben and sighed, what a weird thing, his Pj’s where what he was supposed to look like, he shrugged at Jason, it was what it was, yes it was disorienting to know he looked like his counterpart but even though June asked to see him, this would be fun to walk out in, he will always stick to June’s word, no matter what

“Alright I think that’s enough commotion for tonight,” Jason said jokingly, as he finished his sentence with a yawn

Ben felt a little sad knowing that Jason was sleeping on the floor, he wanted to do something, but what? Soon someone else’s thought came into his head, look’s like Bendy wasn’t completely asleep, he was trying to project memory in Ben’s head, Ben watched

* * *

_As I transformed, I made sure that I wouldn’t break anything, I need to help the two girls heal from what I did, but how? I scared them to death and now they can’t sleep without getting a nightmare! What am I going to do?_

_Now I remembered why I transformed, Henry did this all the time when I had nightmare’s he’d cradle me up in his hands, it always helped, I hope it works for Beth and Sarah_

_I lowered my hand letting Sarah climb on, she took a little while before resting her head, she giggled, I think it’s helping, soon I felt something at my other hand, Beth was waiting, fidgeting with her blanket, I let her climb on my other hand, she giggled, maybe they're giggling because of how it felt? I don’t know, I’m just happy it’s helping_

_The two fell asleep in my hands, I was about to fall asleep until June caught my attention, I did my best to keep my form, I knew she would tell me to put them down, but she didn’t_

_“Goodnight Bendy” June said, has she forgiven me? I hoped that was the cause, either way, I kept the girls like this and not once did either of them wake up, I think I did the right thing_

_Slowly I closed my eyes falling asleep whilst holding the two, they both forgave, I’m guessing, from the fact that they put their trust in me, I won’t let this happen to them again, I promise_

* * *

Ben got the hint, Bendy wanted him to do what he did a while back, it would work but how could he convince Jason to do it? Either way, he tried it

Jason stepped back as Ben largened his gloved hand, Jason looked confused, was Ben trying to do something?

“Hey Ben, what are you doing?” Jason asked Ben shrugged

“ **I don’t know, wondering if you’d like a bed for the night** ,” Ben said, it quickly made sense to Jason, Bendy had done this to the girls when he went berserk that one day, was Ben trying to do the same

“I guess, I mean it’s better than nothing am I right,” Jason said jokingly

“ **Yea, I guess** ” Ben replied with a not too nice tone, most likely because he was tired

Jason shrugged, he slowly crept on to Ben’s large hand, he had to admit, it felt comfortable, soon his body was on the ‘bed’ Ben made him, he put the pillow behind his head and brought up the spare quilt

“Oh shoot, I forgot to turn the lights off, sorry,” Jason said, before he could get up though Ben had shot a piece of ink at the light switch, it returned to him like a boomerang

“Heh, thanks, Ben,” Jason said

“ **you’re welcome, now can we stop talking and get to sleeping?** ” Ben said

“Sure” Jason replied

In Jason’s head, he thought it would be impossible to sleep, either he would snore waking up Ben or vice versa, it was his fault today as he could feel his head being pushed upwards to stop the snoring

Both of them fell into deep sleep, in Ben’s mind this was a very relaxing experience, he got to help Jason, and he could get some time as the toon he was supposed to be, yes he didn’t like it but being the toon cleared his mind, especially when the thought of morning hit his mind, everyone’s reaction would be priceless

In Jason’s mind, he knew this was all temporary, but he hoped that he could do this another day, it was all too comfortable, he had mixed feelings about morning though, he sure would jump at the sight of Ben instead of June, he just hopes that she’s well, she practically put herself in quarantine for a week, tomorrow he needed to call his mother again, asking if after the appointment they could come over and cook dinner on Monday

That one day kept haunting Ben, if Jason weren’t here, he would be screaming at the top of his lungs, but with Jason in his hands, it comforted Ben, even though he was asleep, it was a nice feeling to have, someone, ’s got your back without them even knowing

Everything was fine until Ben’s sensitive hearing woke him up, what did he hear? It sounded like a very sharp sound, it came from the living room, it was followed by footsteps, what was this?

Ben woke up Jason telling him to stay quiet and listen, he did, and their minds where blown, they knew what this was and it wasn’t going to hurt Ben’s family, not on his watch.

**Author's Note:**

> Big juicy 10038 words for y'all hope you enjoyed this extra-long story (note: after this is a short one but c'mon I did 10k plus I hit a lot of writer's block in the next one) also I did base the 338th line and under on a tumblr post by ShinyZango, sadly I couldn't find the link to the original page but here is a great dub by JordantheCat11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szr516Y3Vh4


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